Fine Again
by But I Have Promises To Keep
Summary: Mal's in prison. Natara's gone. The question is…why? (A "Silent Hill" type story).
1. Chapter 1

**I know I should be finishing Addiction, and I swear to God, I will (eventually). But I just bought the game _Silent Hill: Downpour _and was inspired! I'm not very far in the game, but the opening scene inspired me, and I wanted to write this before I forgot my idea. It might not make sense at first, but there are going to be flashbacks, so *hopefully* it'll make sense soon. Thanks so much for reading, hopefully this doesn't go too badly, so please review and let me know what you think so far!**

* * *

I'm brought back to life with the sound of clanking metal, jumping back into reality from the light sleep I had been enjoying. I nearly fall out of bed waking up; startled and painfully aware of the cause of my brute awakening.

"Looks like today's the big day. Isn't it, Fallon?" I hear the familiar voice of a guard say. I offer him a scowl as I get up and walk to the barred door. "You know the drill". I offer my hands through the small hole in the bars and he confines them in handcuffs before signaling someone to unlock the door; which rolls open like it's nothing more than a sliding glass door.

"You gonna miss us, Fallon?" He teases. He has a smokers voice, but even though it's slightly raspy it doesn't keep him from talking in a voice that's much too loud.

"Like hell I will" I mutter sarcastically, causing the guard to sound off his scratchy laugh that always ends in a cough in my ear.

"I'm sure your attitude'll change soon. I give you a week in Folsom before you're begging to be brought back".

I don't respond, knowing from my time here that this is usually the best response. But even though I'm quiet, the rest of the prison isn't. It's alive with people jeering at me, yelling obscenities as I pass. I may not know them…but they certainly know me.

I'm lead past an endless labyrinth of cells and doors before I make it outside to see six other uniforms of orange standing before the bus that'll take us to Folsom State Prison. I don't really know what's going to happen to me there…but I know in my gut that it won't be any better than what's here.

There's a woman in a warden's uniform taking names as they board the bus. Her lips seem to mouth my name once or twice before she says it out loud, as if she can't believe it's me. Frankly, I can't either.

"Malachi Fallon?".

She stares at me over her big dark sunglasses, which she wears despite the fact that it's hardly sunny outside. I'm sure I've seen her before; probably with work. But I can tell as she stares that she's still deciding whether she recognizes me or not.

"Get in the van" she says with an unnecessary harshness to her voice.

I obey.

* * *

An hour later I'm watching the icy rain race slide down the dark windows, every bump jerking the seat that I'm sitting on. There's a wire fence separating the prisoners from the woman and the driver, and through it I can see the woman staring at me. I try not to notice.

"Hey" I hear another prisoner whisper in my ear. I fight against every instinct I have and don't turn around. "I heard rumors about you. Is it true? What you did?".

"Shut up back there!" Says the woman, saving me from answering.

But the prisoner doesn't listen. "I heard you lost your girl" he says in a teasing voice. My hands form into fists, and I bite my tongue in an effort to stay silent.

"I said be quiet!".

"You know what they'll do to cops in Folsom?" He continues, not even bothering to keep his voice down. "You won't make it a month".

"Don't make me come back there!" the woman shouts, standing up and holding the side of the bus for support.

The world seems to go into slow motion as I look out to the dark road over my shoulder. I see a patch of ice up ahead, and a sharp turn that drops right off the side of a cliff.

"Look out!" I shout, grabbing the edge of my seat in fear. But it's too late, and before the last syllable passes my lips my ears are filled with the sound of crunching metal and screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. So…I don't really want to think about how long it's been since I last updated. But I am trying to get back into the swing of things, (which means I'll actually update more than once every hundred years) so bear with me ;) I also just want to thank LittleGirlBigImagination, HopelessRomantic1994 (Jade), NikeaWow, mozzi-girl (Molly), CobaltRose96, Sixteen Vanilla Beans and The Beautiful Filth for the reviews :) You guys are freaking awesome, and it really means the world to me to hear what you think :)**

* * *

_I had a little girl. Once._

_We called her Aya, which means painting; and she lived up to that name in every way. She was as beautiful as any painting; the kind of child photographers looked for to advertise children's clothes or toys. She had skin that was just lightly tanned, not as dark as her mother's, but tan enough that she looked like she lived in the San Francisco sun. Her hair was a mess of chocolate curls that were a pain to take care of in the morning and often made her cry when Natara had to brush them; but it was admired by every person she encountered. Her eyes were a deep and dark blue; the almond shape of Natara's and the color of mine. Anyone who saw those bright blue orbs would melt instantly; and little did Aya know she had everyone wrapped around her fingers. She was destined to be a little beauty, just like her mother._

_She was my whole world._

_I can remember one of the last times we were together as a family. It was Aya's fifth birthday. We had taken her to a small beach not far from a touristy area that I generally avoided. It was quiet. Only locals really knew this beach, and it wasn't far from where that girl was killed during the Maskmaker case. I tried not to think of that as I helped my daughter make a castle in the sand._

_At the end of the day, when Natara had said it was time to go home, Aya had pursed her lips and made her eyes as big as possible. "Please, Mommy? Can't I jump off the dock one last time?"_

_"You didn't even jump last time!" I had teased her "You said it was too scary!"_

_"I'll go this time, promise! Please?"_

_Sure enough, Aya's eyes had her mother reduced to a puddle in seconds, and with a sigh, Natara agreed. "One more time."_

_With a squeal of delight, I watched as Aya ran to the end of the wooden fishing dock, her little pink bathing suit reflecting off the sunset like a mermaid's tail. Her hair, knotted and dry from the salt water, was falling out of it's pigtails. I watched her closely from the shore, ready to spring should her little yellow water-wings fail. The water wasn't deep at the end of the dock. When it was originally built, it probably was. But then I could easily stand in it._

_Aya looked back at me, a worried glance on her tiny tan face. "Catch me, Daddy!" She yelled._

_Smiling back at my wife, I swam back out into the cold water, despite the fact that I had just dried off, and held my arms out to catch my tiny child. Aya shut her eyes and jumped._

_I felt her body hit mine, plunging us both underwater. The sand had shifted out from under me, plunging us both under. Panic gripped my body for a moment, a thousand horrible thoughts racing through my mind. What if I couldn't find the surface again? What if the waves drove me under? Would we both down; me and Aya, just because of a bit of bad luck?_

_But a moment later, I had found my footing and pushed back to the surface, propelled by Aya's water-wings. The icy air slapped my face harshly, but as I held my daughter's warm body close to mine, I didn't feel cold at all._

_"Again!" Aya cried "Again!"_

_But Natara was shaking her head. "Come on, it's time to go."_

_Aya turned to me, giving me her big puppy-dog eyes, clearly expecting me to give in (which I often did, much to Natara's annoyance)._

_If I had known what would happen only a week later, I would have let her jump a thousand times. I would have happily stayed in the water until the cold of winter, ready to take her into my arms. And when she was too tired to stand, I would carry her from the water, teasing her about being "my little mermaid" before wrapping her in a towel and buckling her in the back seat of the car so she could rest. Then, if she pretended to fall asleep (which she often did because she liked to be carried), perhaps I would carry her inside and let her sleep on my chest until she woke up and got ready to go to bed._

_If I had known what would happen, I would have never let go of her._

_But I did._

_"Come on," I had said, letting her slip out of my arms so she could swim back to her mother on her own "Let's go home."_


End file.
